Hanzei Kurokami
:"He who stands at the forefront of the moon's light." - Seireitou-shishō Hanzei Kurosaki (黒崎反正, Kurosaki Hanzei) is a powerful member of the Kurosaki family, having fought in the First Shinigami-Arrancar War, catching word of the exploits of the White Demon, Seireitou Kawahiru. After the war, Hanzei was said to have become a wanderer in the spiritual world. By Hanzei's own claim, the Kurosaki family was split off into separate branches because of his "lecherous past actions". Because of this, it is presumed that Hanzei is an ancestor in both Ichigo Kurosaki's family tree and also Ahatake Noriko Kurosaki's family tree. However, such claims have not been confirmed. He is revered as the master of the moon-type Zanpakutō, claiming to have both mastered and refined the "final secret to the Moon Zanpakutō." It is also presumed that he was the one to have developed the "Saigo no Getsuga Tenshō" (最後の月牙天衝, The Final Moon Fang Heaven-Piercer), having taught its usage to Isshin Kurosaki. Appearance Personality History Synopsis Powers & Abilities Overwhelming Spiritual Power: Innate Abilities Zanjutsu Grandmaster Kenjutsu (剣術, "Sword Technique"): Through his unprecedented mastery of a sword, the result is that Hanzei's Kenjutsu has become a mystery in and of itself; as if something unique that those of the Zanjutsu disciplines may have difficulty comprehending it. In an attempt to explain the Kenjutsu phenomena that Hanzei is capable of, he explains that it involves locating "cracks" along the pathways in the body's flow of energy that leak outwards from the soul. By learning to perceive these "cracks", and mastering the methods to attack them, allows one to essentially cut an opponent's soul and cause them unusual injuries that can lead to strange occurrences. *'Kendō:' The nature of Kendō is one of absolute resolve. It teaches those who practice its art that emotions are but windows; openings for an opponent to take advantage of. By learning to internalize pure focus, the blade of the Kendōka can never be overcome or blocked in battle. In essence, the sword is only as powerful as he who holds the blade. Hanzei demonstrates immense feats of swordsmanship through the use of Kendō, allowing him to even cut right through the blades of an opponent of equal skill and strength. In addition, by his unique mastery, Hanzei is capable of cutting through even substances that would be normally impossible for any sort of so-called master-level attack utilized by another Kendōka. This is most likely due to Kendō being meant for the purpose of directing one's willpower using the Zanpakutō as a medium and because of Hanzei's own indomitable spirit, it causes the sword's edge to become sharp enough to slice through any form of opposition. The strength of his slashes are matched only by his speed and precision, making it nearly impossible for even those of master-level to block his assaults as well as to cut at incredible miniscule measures such as nanometers. He can effectively silence most foes with a single swing of his blade. *'Battōjutsu:' Unlike other forms of Zanjutsu, Battōjutsu deals almost exclusively with the rapid drawing and sheathing of a sword. Ideally, when drawn, that moment is when the blade is being swung at its greatest speed, rather than when it is used normally in Kendō. It also allows the swordsman to use more force than typical due to the sheath directing the sword's movement, without the worry for uncertainty in precision. Essentially, the sword's path is guided by the sheath while the blade meets no resistance, moving several times faster than normal. Typically used for an element of surprise, the nature of Hanzei's Battōjutsu suits his own nature of fighting; meant for a chance to obliterate an opponent at the right moment before they catch wind. Like that of a snake's bite, Hanzei's draw and sheathe is far too quick to have noticed what took place until after the damage is done, with Raian being the only one capable of seeing these moves to an extent sufficient to block them. He is capable of using rapid Battōjutsu strikes, appearing as nothing more than small projectiles if anything else, for overwhelming any individual opponent or for dealing with a group of armed opponents. *'Nōtōjutsu:' The act of sheathing one's blade, Hanzei has demonstrated a unique Nōtōjutsu style in that he draws his blade only slightly and then pushes it back in quickly, causing a ringing sound to form from the collision. His very will and spiritual pressure allows this ringing vibration to be carried out and used in various practical means, such as creating an annoying sound that will allow for temporary stunning of an opponent. By combining neijing principles with the Nōtōjutsu, the vibrations that are released from the act of sheathing the blade can carry unique properties that can serve offensive and/or defensive measures. Kokorozan: Raikiri (心斬雷切, "Slash of the Heart: Lightning Cutter"): An extension of the Shinuchiken, which was developed through Hakuda and then later translated onto his Zanjutsu, Hanzei bore attention to an ancient story of a warrior who was said to carry a legendary blade. During a storm of tremendous proportions, he sought refuge underneath a tree. However, this was short-lived as a bolt of lightning from the heavens descended and struck the warrior. However, wielding his mighty sword, he cut through the lightning deity's will that lay within the lightning bolt, successfully preventing his inevitable death at the very hands of nature itself. This sword, for accomplishing such a feat, was later renamed from its original name to the name "Raikiri" - meaning lightning cutter. Applying these principles, Hanzei designed a technique that could serve as both a means of offense and defense at the same time. Just as lightning itself serves as an extension of Raijin, the thunder kami, the techniques utilized by an opponent also possess some degree of their will - a fragment, if you will, of their very essence. Spiritual energy, after all, is energy fueled by one's will. The Raikiri technique aims to strike the "heart" of any attack or defense the opponent(s) attempts to employ through the use of a sword strike. By simply striking at the technique, Hanzei can dispel it and subsequently render it asunder, regardless of its strength and effect. However, Raikiri's use does not end here. To strike the heart of a technique is to attack the will of its user. In cutting through the heart of the technique, it bestows some degree of mental and physical recoil onto the user in question. Concordantly, attacking Hanzei mindlessly with continuous spiritual assaults or even allowing a spiritual construct to suffer blows from his blade is akin to signing a death warrant, as it repeatedly deals damage to the technique's user should they continue to allow the Raikiri to cut through them. In addition, Raikiri can also be manifested into a wave of white energy that serves as the same purpose as the original sword slash technique, albeit so as to strike from a distance. Hohō Master Hakuda Master Getsudō Successor: Being the successor to the Getsudō technique, Hanzei expresses complete mastery of the art. Much like its creator, his movements are shown to be very crude and rough, as if they were the embodiment of hard-type martial arts themselves. By using a combination of leg sweeps and open-hand strikes, his spiritual power is usually released in waves instead of singular blasts. Color-wise, it takes on a black color. Hanzei's "interpretation" of Getsudō is still unnamed, and much about it is still unknown. However, it seems it is meant to amplify the powers that his Kawahiru-inherited eyes are capable of preforming. Kidō Master Zen'nōken Miōzora-ryū Zen'nōken Miōzora-ryū (残心天御流, "God Blade Heavenly Sword Style"): Hanzei's creation, during the training alongside his brother-in-training, Shōyō Shakyamuni. It is, in his own words, the highest level of swordsmanship and spiritual power unison. In order to utilize the technique, Hanzei coats his entire body and Zanpakutō with a very thin layer of spiritual energy (thin enough that Shōyō would note in the past how it had a tendency to flicker). While the layer of spiritual energy does not influence strength, it makes the user's movements with an almost god-like speed. With this power, Hanzei comments that even the speed attained through Shunkō pales in comparison. It is the basis of this power that allows Hanzei to use the Zen'nōken Miōzora style. It is a style that uses the god-like speed attained through the spiritual power coat, and observation-based pseudo-clairvoyance in order to avoid the attacks of the user's opponents by the least possible margin and using the least possible effort in order to place themselves in the perfect position to strike in the very instant the opponent's strike misses and stresses two-step attacks in order to ensure that any and all who oppose it are thoroughly slain. Seireitou Kawahiru commented that due to this style's tremendous power and speed, it would secure absolute victory for whichever side wielded it in a conflict. The former went on to say that the only style that can oppose it is Shōyō's Reitai Shiranui-ryū. .]] *'Kyūryūōda' (九つ竜吉, Nine Dragons Strike): It is a dashing attack that uses the god-like speed of the Zen'nōken Miōzora style to simultaneously strike all nine vital spots of Kendō on the opponent's body. It is considered to be nigh undodgeable and nearly unblockable. However, the speed of the attack masks its true workings. Hanzei will form eight thin blades from the energy layer created by the Zen'nōken Miōzora style, with his own blade being the ninth, and attack all nine spots so quickly that all nine attacks appear to have been preformed by his own blade. According to Hanzei, the strength of the move's "nine blades" will differ greatly depending on the strength of the user. Hanzei later explains that those "spiritual blades" created are only illusions, which make the entire motion look like a single attack, while it's actually nine individual attacks done too quickly to spot each one. Zanpakutō Tsukutenshū (月神, God of the Moon) is the name of Hanzei's Zanpakutō, held in regard by all who have faced Hanzei and lived to speak of it as a legendary weapon, rumored to be the strongest of all "moon-type Zanpakutō." It is said that this Zanpakutō was once held by the founder of the Kurosaki family, Ninigi Kurokami, implying that Hanzei is the reincarnation of Ninigi. However, this claim is all but proven. When sealed, the sword seems to have a rather simplistic look to it, having only a wooden handle without a crossguard, the blade curving slightly like most katana. *'Shikai:' Hanzei's Zanpakutō seems to be in a constant release of its Shikai state, and because of this, its power can be very dangerous whenever contended with. The strength of Tsukutenshū, according to Hanzei, is great enough to forego the need to use a Bankai release. Despite the blade's simple appearance, it can endure even the strongest of attacks, making it quite effective in blocking and deflecting incoming attacks. It can even withstand getting crushed by immense force. :Shikai Special Ability: Tsukutenshū's true powers have not been revealed, as Hanzei normally utilizes the Zanpakutō as a melee-type. During battles, Hanzei reveals his Zanpakutō's central ability, Getsuga Tenshō (月牙天衝, Moon Fang Heaven-Piercer; "Piercer of Heaven" in the English anime), in which all of his techniques are derived from the original aforementioned attack. However, he persists that there is much more to the abilities of Tsukutenshū than he lets on. :*'Instantaneous Getsuga Tenshō:' Hanzei displayed that his mastery of moon-type Zanpakutō has allowed him to use Getsuga Tenshō in the form of his sword attacks, releasing a wave of spiritual energy that bypasses the speed of any regular Getsuga Tenshō technique. Raian Getsueikirite noted that it moves so fast, it's nearly impossible to see its path after it is fired, and highly difficult to dodge it. In addition, he likened it to the speed of Gin Ichimaru's Bankai. :*'Mugetsu Tenshō' (無月天衝, "Moonless Sky Heaven-Piercer"): Hanzei refined the power of the moon-type Zanpakutō's signature technique, Getsuga Tenshō, and in doing so, forged his own unique technique. Tsukutenshū absorbs his spiritual energy, and unleashes the amount of energy in a single instant, generating a massive veil of black spiritual energy to erupt upwards and approach the target, darkening the sky, and heavily damaging anything caught within the blast. The energy then continues to rise, dissipating into the sky. Unlike the traditional Getsuga Tenshō, in which the shape can be manipulated in various ways, Mugetsu Tenshō retains a consistent wave-like appearance. When the technique is released, it will cover any exposed light into a complete pitch darkness. The sheer strength of this technique is so great that it critically injured Kūgo Ginjō, the latter being in his skull-clad state, while Hanzei professed to only using one-fifth of Mugetsu Tenshō's full power. :*'Ugetsu' (雨月, "unable to see the moon because of rain"): Being the strongest technique that can be learned by a Moon-type Zanpakutō, Ugetsu is a Getsuga Tenshō-esque technique that is "within it's own tier." It is formed by firing a massive Getsuga Tenshō at full-power into the skies, which halts right above the area of it's initiator's spiritual energy range. At that point, all sources of reishi are collected by the Getsuga technique, no matter the size or density of the spiritual energy. As more gathers, the size of the Getsuga in the skies grows into a large black moon which blocks out the sun. Any beings that are made of reishi that come into contact with the technique are either sucked in, effectively strengthening the technique overall, or completely decimates said target. While claiming to know the technique, a claim which can said to be true considering that Hanzei has been said to have mastered all of the moon-type Zanpakutō's powers, he has yet to display this ability yet. with Gekkō Jōkai.]] :*'Gekkō Jōkai' (月光上界, "Moonlight of the Heavens"): This ability creates seven or more immense pillars of blue spiritual energy that surrounds an area of immense radii. It is a technique that Hanzei created, built upon the use of Getsuga Tenshō by running the aforementioned's gathered energy through the ground beneath the user. The intent of this technique is to trap the opponent in the caged reiryoku and destroy them. The power of this technique is lethal enough to destroy everyone caught in its vicinity, even Hanzei himself. These "Getsuga Tenshō pillars" are capable of utterly eradictating an area greater than that of the Seireitei; a claim which, if not for the timely interuption of Seireitou, would have been most likely proven true. Against multiple opponents, Hanzei can aim for each pillar to erupt at the location of each of his multiple opponents, essentially devastating an entire group of opponents in a single move. *'Bankai:' Not Yet Revealed Quotes * (To Kibō Injiki) "If you are truly serious about being taught by me, there is no turning back. You will make the decision where you stand. Walk up this path, and you will be my student, and not leave until your training is complete. If you have even a single ounce of doubt or hesitation, then go back where you came from. Because I have no time to teach a baby how to breathe. The choice is yours, my young friend." * (To Kibō) "The path you speak of is the path of murder. Of a manslayer. Surely, you believe that it is a path worth going down... to prove your worth. But murder doesn't choose sides, Kibō. When one allows themselves to become a manslayer, there is no such thing as loyalty. You'll slaughter legions so that a few may live. And soon after, even those few will end up dead... by your hand! The world you ardently desire to enter will not know what to do with you. It will deceive you into believing that you are saving lives even as you destroy them. You will accept these lies all the while, your hands will be stained with the worst of offenses." * (To Kidō) "It's surprising how such a young boy... understands the world beyond a naive point of view. What you speak is the truth. A sword is a weapon. And the art of Zanjutsu is learning how to kill. That is the truth. Any ornamental words used to glorify it can only be spoken by someone who's hands have never been stained with the blood of men. But will you continue the cycle? What will you prove to your family? That you can kill? And you will teach your student or offspring of the art of killing. And so on will the chain of killing continue. Or you could be the first of a long line... to use the katsujinken style. It is a principle that literally means "a sword that can give life". It's up to you, kiddo. But a sword that only knows how to kill is a sword that will rust." * (Regarding Shōyō) "You knew but you kept the truth from me all this time, just so you can play this card at the right moment! Still the way that you shuffled the deck was more than artful... it was remarkable, and effective." Behind the Scenes Category:Character